1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for increasing personal comfort and, more particularly, is concerned with an integrated sunshade and fan apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common practice for persons to relax in the sun by sunbathing at a beach or near a pool or by even sitting in one's automobile. Yet it is not always desirable to have the sun's rays impinge directly on the body's sensitive facial areas. It is widely recognized that the sun has harmful rays that can damage one's skin or irritate one's eyes.
A personal portable sunshade device devised heretofore to address the aforementioned problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,528 to Yanon Volcani, one of the co-inventors of the subject invention herein. The Volcani sunshade device employs a large disc of opaque material having a surface area sufficient for providing shading of a particular portion of a user's body, such as facial areas, from the sun's rays. The disc is supported at its edge by a flexible extension that is connected to a rigid extension which, in turn, is connected to a free-standing base or to a clamp which can be temporarily attached to a lounge chair, car seat, or the like.
The Volcani sunshade device provides a solution which adequately addresses the problem of how to effectively block the direct impingement of the sun's rays on the selected sensitive areas of one's body. However, the amount of time a person is able to relax in the sun can still be shortened due to general personal discomfort arising from overheating of the unshaded areas of one's body by the sun's rays which is a problem not addressed by the Volcani sunshade device.
Thus, notwithstanding the satisfactory performance of the patented Volcani sunshade device, a need still exists for some additional step to be taken to increase one's personal comfort while relaxing in the sun.